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Amy Marchiano/staff photo
The Summit Station Fire Company's 1984 Chevrolet sits at the station Thursday. The company recently received a grant to replace the truck.

SUMMIT STATION - The awarding of a $127,300 grant to the Summit Station Fire Company No. 1 will enable the fire company to take more manpower to fight a brush fire and to fight it more quickly.

With the money, the company is looking to buy a four-door truck.

"Manpower and safety was the biggest push for this," said Brad Zimmerman, fire chief, about the new truck. Only two firefighters will ride in the truck at a time. The back is filled with needed equipment including an extra water tank, rakes and a hose.

When the company responds to a brush fire, it sends the brush truck and a rescue engine with a 1,500 gallon per minute pump and 500 gallon water tank. Other vehicles are also used as needed.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant was awarded to the fire company April 19 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the Department of Homeland Security. It was applied for in 2012, the second time the company applied for the grant, having done so in 2011.

Information from a self-evaluation sheet for vehicle acquisition outlines criteria applicants must answer in their request. Among those are the need for the funds, how it will benefit the department and the type of vehicle requested.

The primary purpose of the grant is to make sure firefighters and other responders have the necessary equipment to do their job.

He said the company is required to contribute 5 percent of the grant request of $134,000 or $6,700.

The money will replace a 1984 Chevrolet two-door truck they were given by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 1992. That truck will be returned, something they are required to do as a condition of receiving the award.

Although the mileage is 24,944, Zimmerman said it probably has at least 100,000 more miles on it. He does not know how many miles were on it when the fire company received the truck.

A truck committee is in the process of picking a new vehicle. It could have a pre-connected hose to the pump and other improvements.

The fire company has a year from the award date to get the vehicle, which they will submit a bill for and then receive the money, he said.

"Being a rural area, there's a need for it. We can't go without a brush truck," he said.

He said the new truck could be in service in eight to 10 months.

The current one has served the company of 20 active volunteer firefighters well over the years.

"It's put out a lot of brush fires, that's for sure," Zimmerman said.

It was last used about two weeks ago at a brush fire in South Manheim Township when the burn ban was in effect.

Within the last month, the company has been out to brush fires about "four or five times."

Usually, they are called out about 20 to 25 times per year to respond to brush fires, which are mostly the result of someone burning trash or other objects.

He said the primary response area is Wayne Township. However, the company also responds to Washington Township, South Manheim Township and other areas as needed.

This is the second grant Summit Station received this year. In March, the company was awarded $18,525 for an airbag system. In 2004, he said the company also received a grant for about $78,000 for air packs and personal protective equipment.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, said in a press release, "Our firefighters and first responders put their lives on the line every day and ensuring their safety is of the utmost importance to local municipalities. This federal funding is essential - filling the gaps in municipal budgets during an economic downturn. Providing the most modern, efficient and safe equipment to the men and women who protect us will continue to be a priority."

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